The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has successfully dismantled a major opioids cartel in Lagos, Nigeria, following an intelligence-led operation. The agency’s operatives arrested a drug baron and five members of his gang, recovering illicit substances valued at over N6.7 billion from a secret warehouse in a residential estate.
According to Femi Babafemi, the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, the operation was prompted by credible intelligence that the drug trafficking organization (DTO) was distributing large quantities of tramadol and codeine syrup. The drugs, worth N3.9 billion and N2.8 billion respectively, were stored in a residential compound in the Isheri area of Lagos state, ahead of the Christmas festive season.
NDLEA operatives, led by a Special Operations Unit, conducted a coordinated operation between November 19 and 20, resulting in the arrest of two DTO members at Apple Junction, Festac area of Lagos, while conveying 300 cartons of opioids in a truck. A follow-up operation at the syndicate’s warehouse led to the arrest of additional members, with a total of 7,272,000 pills of tramadol 225mg and 53 million mills of codeine syrup seized.
The recovered drugs were moved out of the estate in eleven trucks to NDLEA’s central exhibit complex in Lagos. The agency’s Chairman, retired Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa, commended the operatives involved, describing the breakthrough as a major blow to cartels preying on Nigeria’s youth. The seizure of these illicit drugs, Marwa emphasized, could have fueled addiction, crime, and insecurity across the nation, representing a victory for the Nigerian people and a confirmation of the agency’s commitment to its mandate.
The NDLEA’s focus remains on the kingpins and financiers of the illicit drug trade, with Marwa asserting that the days of drug barons thinking they are untouchable are over. The arrest of this drug baron and his cohorts serves as a reminder that the law will eventually catch up with every merchant of death, no matter how deeply concealed they may be. The agency’s efforts to combat drug trafficking and addiction continue, with a renewed commitment to protecting Nigerian youth and communities from the devastating effects of illicit drugs.
